Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2016-04-28-Speech-2-034-000"
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"en.20160428.2.2-034-000"2
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"Madam President, first of all, I think we all agree that something has to be done about the migrant crisis. The scale of the numbers coming this year will no doubt reach biblical proportions. However, where I fundamentally disagree with you all, is in making such a multi—billion pound deal with a country like Turkey.
Let’s look at Turkey. It is a country that is barely democratic and where free speech is increasingly attacked. It is a country that has a disgraceful human rights record, it is a country that is accused of aiding and abetting Islamic State, and it is a country that is going through the process of creeping Islamification. Turkey is also not geographically European. Only 3% of Turkey actually falls within Europe and it borders places that clearly want to harm us: Syria, Iraq and Iran.
So you would think we would run a mile, but no, part of this deal includes an agreement to quicken up Turkish accession to the European Union. I remember at a press conference in 2007 sitting there in disbelief when the then President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, spoke about the EU as the first non—imperial empire.
This deal simply reinforces that perception. If Turkey does eventually join the European Union – and it is a position supported by every other British political party – then I believe it would be a disaster. Indeed, by the time Turkey joins, it will have the largest population in Europe and it is predicted that, within the first ten years of being a Member, 15 million Turks will drift west. That will alter the balance of power within the European Union, not only economically, but also culturally. At present we often complain about a German—dominated Europe. But if we continue down this path of madness, I fear that we will be left with a Turkish-dominated Europe. I am sure that is something that we can all agree we do not want to see.
But there is a light, there is a beacon because we, the British, have an opportunity to put a stop to this. We have a referendum on 23 June and I honestly believe that the threat of Turkey becoming a member of this club will encourage the British people to say ‘enough is enough’, and we will vote to leave and take back control."@en1
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